What collaborative book production looks like

This week I am working with a group in Rotterdam to produce a book in three days using Booktype. Seven people have come to Rotterdam to work on this book about 'The New Aesthetic', which is a critical discourse currently making the rounds of the digital arts world. V2, the institute for unstable media, has invited a group of artists, curators and academics to come together to discuss and critique this discourse and create a book reflecting their position.

The process is know as a Book Sprint, and it is an incredibly intensive collaborative activity. Book Sprints are made even more difficult when the topic is conceptual. Unlike concrete subjects which require less time to define common terms, conceptual topics require these initial discussions.

What does this process look like? Well, online in the Booktype software it looks like this:

But in real space this looks like a group of people working together around a table. Although Booktype facilitates remote collaborations very well, it also functions to facilitate groups in physically shared spaces. The 'same space' strategy for this production is fantastic for generating really rich discourse. The project materializes rapidly as participants use their conversation to inspire and populate the structure and content of the book.

Its hard work and great fun. Without Booktype however, it would be impossible to do this in only three days. Just think about that efficiency! Most publishers would take all three days just to meet with a potential author.